William h



W. H. DYE.

(No Model.)

' TRUCK.

Patented June 23', 1891.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

W'ILLIAM II. DYE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF THREE-FOURTHS TO ELLA J. PATNODE AND FRANK K. IVADE.

TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 454,460, dated June 23, 1891.

Application filed February 20, 1891. Serial No. 382,196. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. DYE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trucks;-and I do doclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap pertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation to an improvement in hand-trucks; and it has for its object to so construct a truck that its platform and any weight or article placed thereon may be quickly and conveniently elevated to a position to be delivered into a wagon or other means of conveyance, the parts of the truck being so arranged that they will become engaged and disengaged with each other by the manipulation of the handles and a foot-lever, so that a single person may control the whole device and lift great weights without much exertion.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved truck, showing the platform in an elevated position and parts broken away to better illustrate the relative arrangement of some of the parts. Fig. 2 is a side view showing the parts folded and the handle partly broken away, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a part of the brace or locking-bar with the tripping-lever and guide-loop in position.

Referring by letter to said drawings, A indicates the platform of the truck. This platform is of a general rectangular form and preferably composed of the two longitudinal beams aa and the cross beams or bars b, although any other suitable construction might be employed. This platform is supported on a forward section B and a rear section 0. These sections are hinged or pivoted at their upper ends to the platform, and are connected at their lower ends by tie-rods D in such a manner that the folding or unfolding movement of one section will cause the other section to move in a corresponding direction.

I have illustrated the forward section B as having its side beams hinged at their upper ends to the forward ends of the beams a of the platform by means of hinges c, and the upper ends of the rearsection C are pivotally connected to said beams by means of a transverse rod (Z, although both may be connected by a rod or hinges, as found most desirable. The opposite ends of the rods D may be connected with the sections 13 and C by means of screw-eyes e or the like, and the section C is mounted on wheels or rollers E by means of a suitable axle f.

F indicates depending arms or hangers, which are pivoted at their upper ends to the forward cross-bar b of the platform, and are pivotally connected at their lower ends to the forward end of abrace-bar G, to be presently described, and pivoted to the hinged hangers F is a ball or loop H, of stout wire or other suitable material, which is designed to fix the position of the hangers with respect to the brace-bar G. The brace-bar G, which is pivoted at its forward end to the lower end of the pivoted or hinged hanger, is provided on its upper side and at a sufficient distance from its forward end with notches g, which are designed to receive the cross-branch of the bail II in fixing the position of said brace-bar with the hangers. This brace-bar is also provided on its under side, near its opposite end and at suitable intervals, with cleats or straps 7L, so shaped as to take over a crossrod I, connecting the hand-levers, and preventthe backward movement of said bar on the rod. The rod I secures the handle K to the roller or whee l section G, and said handles are also connected with said section at an intermediate point by means of straps L.

M indicates a trip-lever, which assumes a position on one side of the brace-bar G and has its forward end pivoted thereto at such a point with respect to the notches g that by manipulating said lever the bail II may be thrown out of the notches when it is desirable to let down the platform. The brace-bar is provided near its rear end with a verticallydisposed loop N, designed to guide the triplever, and said lever has its rear end extending sufficiently beyond the rear end of the brace-bar to permit the same being manipulated by the foot of the operator while his hands are employed at the levers or handles K.

In operation it will be seen that when it is desirable to let down the platform to receive a load the operator first grasps the handles K and then with his foot raises the projected end of the trip-lever M. This will cause the bail H to be raised out of or disengaged from the notches g in the brace-bar, and by lifting the rear lug or cleat h from engagement with the rod I both of the sections 13 and O and also hangers F may be allowed to fold in the position shown in Fig. 2,'and thereby lower the platform. To elevate the platform, it is simply necessary to raise the handles and push forward the brace-bar.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In an elevating-truck, the combination, with a movable platform, of supporting-frames hinged at opposite ends thereof and connected at their lower ends by rods or the like, a pivoted hanger at one end of the platform, abail pivoted to thehanger and a brace-bar pivoted at one end to the lower end of the hanger and having notches on its upper side to receive said bail, and a trip-lever pivoted to the bracebar and adapted to release the bail from the notches in said bar the brace-bar being also adapted to engage the handle-frame or levers, substantially as specified.

2. A platform supported on hinged sections, in combination with handles secured to one of the sections, a brace-bar pivotally connected at one end to the platform and its opposite end adapted to adj ustably engage the handle-frame, a bail adapted'to fix one end of the brace-bar with respect to the platform, and a suitable tripping device for disengaging the bail from the brace-bar, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the platform, of a forward supporting-section hinged at its up per end to said platform, a rear supportingsection mounted on wheels and hinged orpivoted at its upper end to the platform, handles secured to the rear supporting-section at one end and connected at an intermediate point to said section by straps, the rods connecting the lower end of said supporting-sections, the brace-bar having its under side adapted to engage the cross round or rod of the handle-frame, the hangers pivotally connecting the forward end of the brace-bar with the forward portion of the platform, a bail pivoted at one end to the hangers and its opposite end adapted to engage notches in the brace-bar, a trip-lever pivoted on one side of the brace-bar, and the guide-loop for said lever secured to the brace-bar, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. DYE.

IVitnesses:

D. D. WEBSTER, D. L. SHERBURN. 

